European countries and NATO send tanks to Ukraine
February 2023
Germany's decision to finally send Leopard 2 tanks represents a paradigm shift for its foreign policy and the international dynamics regarding the Russian invasion. After lengthy negotiations and finding opposition within and outside his coalition, Scholz opts to send tanks to Ukraine as a symbol of Western support for Kiev.
On January 25, the German Chancellor announced the dispatch of 14 Leopard 2s to Ukraine to deal with what is expected to be an escalation in the conflict during the spring. According to experts, these battle tanks are best suited to the current needs of the war given their ability to withstand enemy fire, their fire range of up to 5km and their ability to be used at night thanks to their thermal vision devices. Germany is not the only NATO country that has this type of armament, in fact, numerous European countries such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Greece have them in their arsenal. However, since they are German-produced weapons, they require the authorization from the manufacturer to be shipped and put into use. Hence, Scholz's decision is a strategic key to unblocking the delivery of aid to Ukraine and thus addressing the crisis from a new perspective.
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Analysis of the Leopard 2 shipment
How will the shipment affect the course of the war?